Yvvaros: The Clash of Worlds Read Free

don’t feel like I can protect Tess against everything. Yvvaros was never a safe place, and it’s more dangerous than ever now.
    The Battle of Kantor was still fresh in his mind. Luke remembered just how close Tess had come to dying. He’d been able to save her, but only because he’d been granted a temporary skill upgrade that he still hadn’t been able to explain.
    Conjure Sword 10… it wasn’t in my skill set the next time I logged in. Where did it come from, and why?
    Whatever had caused the skill to appear, it hadn’t happened again. That fact made him much more wary about where he went, and just how difficult it would be for him to protect Tess if he encountered high level monsters, or something worse. He had to get stronger
    Something moved in the sand in front of him. Luke pulled out his sword, a level 12 Obsidian Blade, and watched as a small, spiny, creature emerged from the ground.
    SAND SCAMP: A dexterous scavenger, the Sand Scamp patrols the desert in small groups, looking for vulnerable prey and setting up ambushes. Highly intelligent, it’s rumored that the creatures create complex burrows underneath the surface of the ground.
    Luke turned as two more Sand Scamps joined the one he’d already spotted.
    CONJURE SWORD 3
    MIRROR IMAGE 2
    Using the familiar version of Conjure Sword, Luke began to maneuver around the scamps as his mirror images circled him. It was an effective mix of offense and defense, allowing him to attack the group without leaving himself vulnerable to retaliation.
    The Sand Scamps were low level enemies. He used a conjured sword to pin one to the ground, and its health bar disappeared in an instant. Luke spun as the other two launched themselves into the air, dispatching them both with a single strike.
    Maybe it would have been okay to bring Tess, after all. It’s not like the enemies around here give me that much trouble.
    Luke sheathed his blade and made his way across the last stretch of sand to where the Sarchia Desert transitioned into the Inner Plains, the fertile region of grassland around Stark Town and the floating city of Kantor.
    He could see Kantor in the distance. It didn’t look any different but it represented something new, something oppressive, since the Arbiters had arrived on scene.
    Kantor had been seized by the Arbiters as their base of operations. What that meant in practice was that anyone who was interested in doing any of the quests available in the floating city, or buying anything from the merchants, or even just paying a visit, had to obtain express permission from the Arbiters first.
    Back before permadeath had been a part of the game, Kantor had been the default bind point for every new player. If a player died in-game, they would respawn safely in the floating city. It had been one of the most active and dynamic places in all of Yvvaros.
    Now it’s an occupied city.
    Luke had heard stories about the in-game regulators.  They acted as the judge, jury, and executioner in the new Yvvaros hierarchy. There had been reports of players who’d gone all in being abducted, being taken up to Kantor, and never being heard from again.
    On second thought, I’m glad Tess is still in Dunidan’s Rest.
    Luke slowed to a walk as he crossed into Stark Town. With Kantor now mostly off-limits, the tiny settlement had become the booming center of trade and commerce in Yvvaros. The marketplace was packed. Merchants, NPCs and players alike, were selling their wares to anyone who would stop and look.
    He pushed his way through a group of players heading out of the city. One of them stopped walking and turned to look at him. Luke thought for a second that he’d done something wrong, until he saw the look on the player’s face.
    “You… You’re the Hero of Kantor!” The player shook his head and pointed at Luke dumbly, mouth slightly agape.
    “I’m just Kato,” said Luke. “Kato of Dunidan’s Rest. Nothing to see here…”
    Not this again. I was hoping that this